- Yes
- No
Introduction
The development of the Centurion began in 1943, as a response to the immediate threat posed by German heavy tanks, such as the Panther and Tiger. British tank doctrine at the time relied on cruiser tanks for mobility and infantry tanks for protection, but neither could effectively match German armour in both firepower and survivability. Interim, improvised solutions, such as the Challenger and Sherman Firefly were adopted, but a purpose-built solution was needed. To address this, the General Staff issued specifications for a new heavy cruiser tank, designated A41, which combined thick, sloped armor with a 17-pounder gun, and, potentially most importantly, abundant capability for future upgrades. The earliest designs and prototypes, designated P1 - P-15 (later only P1 - P10), incorporated a Polsten 20mm cannon as a secondary armament for engaging lightly armored vehicles and infantry. Vickers-Armstrong was chosen to lead the project, and despite wartime resource constraints, the first prototype was completed in early 1944.
Production of the first ten prototypes was carried out under wartime urgency, with the goal of deploying them to mainland Europe. By February 1945, these vehicles were undergoing final assembly. The Polsten 20mm cannon, initially included for additional firepower, was mounted in the turret but was later deemed unnecessary and removed in subsequent versions. By April 1945, the first six Centurion prototypes were shipped to Belgium for field trials, but with the war in Europe ending in May, they did not see combat. The remaining four were completed shortly thereafter and used primarily for evaluation and refinement of the design. Despite some thing issues, this field testing proved to be a resounding success, and soon after an order was placed for 800 tanks, the first 100 of which were to be A41*, or Centurion Mk 1.
The tank being discussed in this suggestion is the Centurion Mk 1 in Jordanian service. Jordan had, and still has, a very close relationship with the UK, especially militarily, with the Jordanian Armed Forces being structured in the similar manner as the British, Jordanian officers being trained at UK military schools, and historically using a significant quantity of UK armour and equipment, including Centurions, Chieftains, and Challengers. Quite how or why the Centurion Mk 1 made its way into Jordanian service is poorly understood, but with Jordan ordering a significant quantity of Centurion Mk 3s in the late 1950s it seems likely that they were sent over as part of the order, to serve as training/conversion vehicles. A minimum of two vehicles were sent over, with the fate of them being unknown, but it is highly likely that one of them is preserved and painted as A41 P3 in the Royal Tank Museum, Amman.
In game, this would provide a much-needed additional Centurion Mk 1, to complement the current single one in the tree and bolster Britain’s 6.0 line-up, with a unique operator nation and camouflage, as well as representing an interesting piece of history.
Specifications
Images
Spoiler
The only photo I’ve seen showing two (one front and one behind) Jordanian operated Centurion Mk 1s
A41/ Centurion Mk 1 in the Royal Tank Museum in Amman, Jordan. Although it is labelled as P3, only one of the P-series A41s is known to still exist (in Bovington), so it is much more likely that this is a Jordanian Centurion Mk 1, that has been painted up to look like A41 (P3)
Sources
Spoiler
The Centurion Tank, Bill Munro
Centurion Universal Tank 1943-2003, Simon Dunstan
CENTURION in action, Stephen Dunbridge
The CENTURION TANK in Battle, Simon Dunstan
Royal Tank Museum, Amman, Jordan